ROCKFORD - With the new year, thousands of Rockford residents will vow to lose weight and get in shape.

But many will fail because they forget a vital ingredient, says Brent Potter, regional fitness director at Anytime Fitness. "When someone decides their New Year's resolution, the first thing they select is exercise, but 70 percent of your results come through nutrition," Potter said. "Most people forget about the nutrition part."

To address his clients' needs for better nutrition to meet their fitness goals, Potter created a partnership with Food 4 Fuel, a Rockford-based company that offers healthy and convenient pre-packaged meals.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner entrees are available. Most individual meals cost $6 to $8, depending on the portion size. Family sized meals for $25 that feed two adults and two children also are available.

"When we ask people to name their biggest obstacle to getting healthier, most say nutrition," said Potter. "When we asked them why, they tell us they work 13 hours a day and don't have time to cook. Or they can't cook one meal for themselves and a separate meal for their spouse and something totally different for their kids. Food 4 Fuel gives them the option to be able to cook a meal for the family and still have theirs prepared and ready to go."

Jim McIlroy, owner of Food 4 Fuel, said while many people with good intentions are able to make time for exercise, they often find themselves eating less than nutritious items out of convenience - such as grabbing fast food from a drive-through - because of busy schedules.

"But people aren't going to see good results when they're eating exactly the same as they've done before," McIlroy said.

Food 4 Fuel is working with gym owners including Potter to help offer healthy food to their clients who are already asking for help to get in shape.

"Now gyms and trainers will be able to say they've partnered up with a company that can really help you with your meals because what you eat really matters," said McIlroy.

He started Food 4 Fuel with the goal of increasing accessibility to healthy food in the Rockford area. He, along with business partner and chef Bruce Liou, believe they have the recipe for success.

"Food 4 Fuel is real food, real fresh, real fast," McIlroy said. "It's a healthy, affordable, accessible meal that you can get that's lean, mean and clean and you can heat it and eat it."

Liou said their company addresses a real need in the Rockford area.

"A lot of people have no access to healthy food so they put stuff that's not good for them into their bodies," said Liou who has owned Singapore Grill, 6390 E. Riverside Blvd., Loves Park, for 16 years.

Page 2 of 2 - The meals are made and packaged there, and those who buy the meals pick them up at Singapore Grill. Other pickup sites will be announced in the future.

"They can take our meals to work with them or take them home and put them in the fridge and have them for dinner," Liou said.

The healthy pre-packaged meals, are designed with active people in mind. Customers can order five, 10 or 20 meals at a time choosing from fish, chicken or beef entrees and a combination of side dishes like brown rice, broccoli and sweet potatoes. McIlroy said Food 4 Fuel meals are properly portioned and order sizes are determined by the amount of calories each customer wants.

Being local is a plus Liou said because they do not need the preservatives other out-of-town, pre-packaged meal providers require.

"We cook our meals to a healthy standard, minimizing oils and keeping the ingredients natural, but we still make it tasty and good to eat," Liou said.

McIlroy believes that if healthy food was as convenient and affordable as fast food, people would choose the better alternative.

"Our goal is to increase the opportunity for people to make different and better decisions in their fast-paced, hectic days and get away from their 'I don't have enough time,' drive-through mentality," he said. "We want to deliver something that can meet them where they're at but replace some good things with some bad things. Then hopefully they'll get start shifting their habits and thinking a little differently."

For Potter, Food 4 Fuel is a natural fit to help people stick to their resolutions and gain better habits.